Laptop Requirement

Incoming freshmen and transfer students are required to have a laptop. A laptop is an essential tool for all students, used for everything from simply checking email and registering for classes to creating design work, recording sound, editing video, crafting short stories, screenplays and poems, and completing writing assignments in Liberal Arts coursework.

OTIS Support Services works with the academic departments to determine what laptop is best for each program. Each year, three Apple laptops are selected for recommendation – a low, medium and high performance model. Each laptop model is grouped with other recommended accessories to create three bundles in the online UArts Apple Store for Education. Additional information is available in the Laptop FAQ.

About Software
Software is provided for free on laptops meeting the minimum requirements. A complete list of available software can be found on our Software page. Please note that Microsoft Word is now available from Microsoft for free for students. Our Help Desk can help you access it!

Minimum Requirements
To make the process of purchasing a new laptop easier, we bundle recommended laptop models with a three-year AppleCare Protection Plan, an external hard drive and an ethernet cable. These bundles are available in the online UArts Apple Store for Education. Adding a bundle to your cart will automatically add these extra items.

Students can also put together their own configurations, choosing a laptop of equal or greater spec. Making a purchase this way will require selecting and adding the AppleCare Protection Plan, an external drive for backing up data, and an ethernet cable to the cart in order to purchase these items.

Additional peripheral items may be required once students enter their major. These will be communicated at the appropriate time and are considered the necessary tools for that particular coursework.